One Crazy Journey
by scizorstrike
Summary: Everyone and their mother has written a journey fic. Most of them? Are serious. This one? Not so much. Alternatively; The adventures of a beret-clad boy and his best friend, the narrator.
1. Onset

_A/N; Well, here goes.  
_

_Onset_

Our story begins on a relatively quiet morning in Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh, where our protagonist-

"_YES! _My Plot Sense is tingling! That means it's finally time to begin my own journey! I'll be able to go out and get a Starter Pokemon, and then I'll get given a tutorial on how to catch Pokemon despite the fact that I already know how by some person who then follows it up by giving me Poke Balls…"

-was, contrary to most low-quality journey fanfiction, _not_ sleeping. Rather, he was celebrating the start of this fanfic.

"…and I'll battle my rival again when he has obtained- Wait, all traditional Pokemon protagonists oversleep, don't they? Does that mean I've got to go back to sleep?"

Proving his talent for repeating things he's already heard (and that his knowledge of _good_ fanfiction was sorely limited), Lucas collapsed back on his bed in disappointment. Pulling off his red beret, he covered his face with it. "…That _sucks._ How am I supposed to go back to sleep now after that adrenaline surge? I don't even have TV to watch, after that annoying but surprisingly plot-appropriate accident broke it…"

Downstairs, the door slammed open.

Lucas grinned. "Plot Sense, ahoy!"

* * *

Less than a minute later, Barry charged up the stairs to find Lucas sitting on his bed with a fully-packed rucksack next to him, and beret once again on his head.

"Well then rival-of-mine, are we going?"

Barry didn't miss a beat, used to his friend's idiosyncrasies after many years of knowing him. "Yes, now c'mon! If you're late I'm fining you ¥10 million!"

"Right!" Lucas replied, swinging himself off his bed. Grabbing his rucksack, he walked after Barry, only to crash into him as Barry suddenly changed direction, moving over to Lucas's desk.

"Is this a new PC?" the easily-distracted boy asked distractedly. Wow, redundant descriptions are redundant. Who _writes_ this stuff again?.

Annoyed, Lucas grabbed him, and dragged him back down the stairs. "Come on, the plot's already started! This is no time to be getting distracted!"

At the entrance to the house, Barry shook off Lucas's hand, and shoved him back. (Gently, of course. They were friends after all.) "What was that all about? Anyway, we're going to see Professor Rowan, so come on! I'm going-" He paused, thinking. "Oh geeze, I forgot something!"

"Your bag," Lucas added helpfully.

"Yes, my bag! I'll meet you at my house then!" Barry saluted, turned and took off at a run, his scarf trailing behind him.

Lucas blinked, confused. "Wait, how can he run? I haven't gotten the Running Shoes yet! Usually he just walks really _really_ fast!"

Well, this isn't _entirely_ game mechanics you know.

"Does that mean I can run too?"

No, you have to move at the exact same speed you always do.

"Damn it!"

Behind him, his mother shook her head. "Boys these days…"

* * *

Three agonizingly slow minutes of walking later, Lucas arrived at Barry's house to see the door swinging wide open. Right before he entered, his Plot Sense went off, and he stepped to this side…

"Oomph! Lucas, what was that all about?"

…Only to receive proof that the Narrative Laws of Comedy trump any author-given abilities. Except when it's plot convenient.

Lucas glared up at the sky from his position on the floor. "Oh screw you,"

Blame the author, not me.

Barry looked over at him from a similar position. "Who're you talking to?"

"The narrator," Lucas said, as if that explained everything. "Which it does,"

Barry pushed himself back up. "Right, never mind that now. Let's get going! I'll be on the road, and if you're not there quick I'm fining you another ¥10 million!" He turned and charged off toward Route 201.

"Damn it…" Lucas groaned from his prone position. Pulling himself up and dusting off his blue jacket, he looked up at the sky. "…You know, you said you were the narrator…"

Yes?

"…Are you _that_ Narrator?"

No, for two reasons. One, he's still hanging out with Juniper the younger in their version of Unova. Two, the author hasn't asked Missingno. Master if he could borrow him. Unfortunately, that means you're stuck with me.

"Well, that sucks." Lucas stretched, then looked around. "…I should probably get going before Barry gets annoyed and follows through on his threat, shouldn't I?"

* * *

"Wow, thanks for skipping that scene. That would have been _really_ boring,"

Barry glared at him from the route. "Slowpoke. How long does it take to you to get here, even with talking at the sky?"

"I _know,_ I walk so _slowly. _Give me a bit, and when we're inevitably sent back to Twinleaf to get permission for our journey, I'll probably get given the Running Shoes then," Lucas replied, face twisting in annoyance.

Barry nodded. "Makes sense, as much as anything you say does. Anyway, we both want to start our journey, correct?" He asked.

Lucas perked up immediately. "Yes! You found a way to get some Pokemon?"

Barry punched the air. "Remember that program on TV, the one with Professor Rowan?"

Lucas stared at him.

The blonde-haired trainer-hopeful lowered his hand. "…Oh yeah. Your TV was broken a while ago, wasn't it?" Lucas nodded. "Whoops…"

The beret-clad protagonist shook his head. "Never mind that, just give me the Cliff Notes version," he requested.

"The who version?"

Lucas facepalmed. "The quick and short version,"

"Right. Well, Rowan was talking about how important Pokemon were to people, and he's a Pokemon professor, so he'll have lots of Pokemon, right? So I was thinking, if he's got so many Pokemon, he'll give us some if we asked, right? So yeah, we're going to see him now!" Barry explained breathlessly.

Lucas nodded along to the rambling explanation. "Seems to fit the canon behaviour of Pokemon Professors, although they usually give them out to kids who live in the town that they do. But the problem is, where is his lab?"

Barry pointed excitedly to a sign that Lucas was sure hadn't been there a moment ago reading "Sandgem Town- Proud location of the Rowan Research Laboratory"

Lucas stared at it. "Well, that answers that," He turned back to Barry. "But the question is, how do we get to Sandgem? Somehow, there's nobody in our entire town that's a Pokemon Trainer or has Poke Balls, otherwise we'd have been out of here years ago."

Barry nodded, a frown briefly crossing his face. "I know, if Dad came home more often we'd have been off like a shot." He shook himself out of his recollections. "Either way, I've got a flawless way of getting us there, without a problem!"

Lucas looked at him warily, mindful of the way his Plot Sense was reacting to this decision. "Barry, your _last_ flawless idea involved fifteen feet of rope, three rubber ducks and a fake Poke Ball, and ended up with us running for our lives from a pack of rabid Bidoof, my TV Tropes editing rights revoked, and no pizza for a month. Forgive me for feeling a _little_ sceptical,"

Barry scratched his head sheepishly. "Ehehehe… But that's all in the past now, right?"

"No. Pizza. For. A. _Month."_ Lucas growled.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… Anyway, this idea really _is_ flawless, so hear me out, okay?" Barry paused a second, then continued. "Well, you know how Pokemon will jump out at you if you walk in tall grass?" He gestured at a conveniently-placed patch of grass.

Lucas nodded warily.

"So what you do is, you scoot over to the other side of the grass before they realise you're there!" Barry grinned, his teeth gleaming in the way that's usually only managed by special effects.

"Barry, not only are your teeth scaring me, you've completely forgotten that I am only capable of moving at the speed of slightly warm molasses. This idea is really not as flawless as you seem to think," Lucas replied.

"Yep, brilliant idea isn't it?" Barry continued as if he hadn't heard Lucas at all. Probably offended by the teeth comment.

"Mmmhm, probably- Wait, Barry, get off!" Lucas yelled at the hyperactive trainer-prospect as he grabbed the jacket-wearing boy by the arm.

"On your marks…" Barry began.

"Aagh! Barry, stop!" Lucas tried and failed to get his friend off him as his Plot Sense went haywire.

"Get set…"

"This is revenge for dragging you downstairs earlier, isn't it?"

Barry grinned at him. "Aaaaand, G-"

"**HOLD IT!"**

Barry tripped over, flinging Lucas dangerously close to the patch of long grass. Picking themselves up, they both looked at Phoenix Wright- Erm, I mean, Professor Rowan, Barry recognizing him from the television and Lucas recognizing him because of the narration.

The old man looked at them, his grey eyes darting between the two. "You two… Neither of you two are carrying Pokémon. Correct?" He moved forward a step. "Then _what_ is the meaning of going into that tall grass!?"

Barry stared at the Professor. The Professor stared back.

"Hey Lucas…" Barry muttered, out of the corner of his mouth. "This old guy… this is Professor Rowan, isn't it? What's he doing here…?"

The tree-named professor continued staring before turning his back on them. "…They tried to go into the tall grass, because they wanted Pokémon…" He whispered to himself, too low for anyone not reading the narration to hear, and raising questions about why he had asked what the two younger people behind him what they were doing. "Hm… What to do? Their world would surely change if they were to meet Pokémon, but is it right for me to put them on that path?" He turned back, to find Lucas seemingly staring at the sky, and Barry watching him mutely. "…You two. You truly love Pokémon, don't you?"

Lucas snapped his attention back to the elder man. "Well, of course. If there were no Pokémon, there would be absolutely no reason for us to be on this journey!"

"Me too!" Barry jumped in. "I love Pokémon, too!"

Rowan gave them a hard look. "I will ask you once again, do you _truly_ love Pokémon?"

"What!? You can ask a hundred times, and the answer will never change! We both love Pokémon, right Lucas?"

Lucas nodded. "Without Pokémon, there would be no plot, and we'd all be recycled as Legend of Zelda fanfic characters most likely."

Rowan gave him a disturbed look. Barry sighed. "Don't worry, he gets like this sometimes…"

The old man stepped back slightly. "…A reckless kid who foolishly tries to drag his friend through tall grass without a Pokémon between them, and a kid who seems to think that life is a story… It worries me what people like that would do with Pokémon,"

Barry looked down. "Uh…Well, I uh… Well, forget about me, but give a Pokémon to my friend here! It was me who tried to drag him into the tall grass, and he's been wanting to leave on a journey for nearly as long as I've known him! Pretty much the only reason he's even sane is wanting to leave on a journey!"

Lucas looked momentarily offended. "I happen to be _quite_ sane, thank you!"

"Lucas, you claim to listen to the narration of our lives. Most people wouldn't really consider that sane,"

Rowan gave him a look of approval. "How mature of you… Very well then! I will entrust the two of you with Pokémon. I do apologize for putting you through that excersise, but I wanted to be sure of you character before choosing to do this." He began to search through the pockets of his brown coat. "However! You must promise me that you will never so recklessly endanger yourselves again, understand?"

Both boys looked at each other, and then simultaneously nodded. "We promise,"

"Good! Now then… Hm?" He extracted his hands from his pockets, and began searching the inside of his coat. "Now, where…?"

"Professor!" a feminine voice called from the direction toward Lake Verity. Maya- Sorry, _Dawn_ ran into view, clutching a large briefcase in her hands Now, I wonder why they're called still called briefcases no matter how large they are?

"Because of the way that lawyers use them to carry their case papers, also known commonly as briefs," Lucas explained helpfully to thin air. Huh, what do you know? This guy kind of _is_ like Phoenix Wright…

Barry ignored him.

Lucas wilted. "I feel so ignored…"

Well, that's because you are. Deal with it.

Completely oblivious to the series of events happening behind them, Dawn and Professor Rowan were having a quiet argument.

"These Pokémon are hard to replace Professor. We shouldn't just be giving them away to random kids you find out in the Routes!"

"Hm! We exist side by side with Pokémon, Dawn," Rowan replied. He drew himself up, and swept his recently re-acquired briefcase around, drawing the attention of the two trainer-prospects. "There comes a time when people should meet Pokémon. This is a world that should be explored together, human side by side with Pokémon. For them, now is that time. This place, right here, right now!" He set the briefcase down, and opened it to a pocket with three Pokeballs inside. "Go on! Choose a Pokémon, there are three of them in here. One Grass, one Fire, and one Water. Pick one."

Barry practically teleported over next to the case. "Really?! Professor Rowan, I can't believe it! I'm so happy now, I can't keep a straight face!" he paused a moment, and grinned. "…Hey Lucas. You can choose first."

Lucas gave him a deadpan expression.

Barry's grin grew wider. "Hey, I'm practically a grown up. I have to show _some_ class here."

Lucas shook his head, and walked over to the briefcase. Kneeling, he looked at the three labelled Pokeballs.

TURTWIG

CHIMCHAR

PIPLUP

Closing his eyes, Lucas reached out, and picked up a Poke Ball. Standing up, and moving back, he heard Barry pick up a Poke Ball too. "Then, I choose you!" Lucas opened his eyes at the same moment Barry continued. "I'm taking this Piplup!"

Blinking, Lucas looked down at the Poke Ball in his hands. It was indeed a Chimchar. How interesting.

Heedless of Lucas's inattention, Rowan began talking again. "Very well! Both of you have chosen a good Pokémon, it seems. Now listen well! The Pokémon you hold in your hands are unfamiliar with the world, a respect that they are similar to you in. As fellow newcomers to the world at large, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any difficulties, please come and see me at my lab in Sandgem Town." He looked in the direction of the aforementioned town. "And now, we'll be on our way. Come along, Dawn,"

Dawn blinked and then grabbed the briefcase before hurrying after him. "Professor! Wait for me, please!"

Lucas had the distinct impression that she had glared at him as she walked past.

Both new trainers watched them as they left. "Well, how do you like that? The Professor's really nice. On TV, he looked so scary…" There was a period of quiet, before Barry's face lit up into a grin. "Hehe… Lucas, we've both got Pokémon now!"

Lucas's face split into a similar grin as that fact sank in. "Yeah! That means the plot has finally begun!" Both trainers high-fived, before breaking into an impromptu celebration right in the middle of the Route.

Speaking of plot, why was I here this chapter? I know the first sections are always dialogue heavy, but this could have been completed by one of those automatic narration cues like most authors use.

"Hush, you. You'll ruin the moment!"

"Lucas, stop talking to the sky,"

The two trainers finally collapsed onto one of the many one-way ledges on the route, silly grins still plastered on their faces. Barry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hey, Lucas…"

The beret-clad trainer turned to look at him.

"We're Pokémon trainers now, right?"

Lucas's face split into a grin- this one far more savage.

"That means, there's only one thing to do. Are you up for this?"

Lucas stood up, and walked a fair distance away. "Rival, do you even need to ask?" he said, turning back to face him.

Barry closed his eyes, and fingered the Poke Ball he was carrying. "I've always wanted to say this…" His eyes snapped open. "Lucas, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

His opponent continued to grin. "Always,"

Both of them stared at each other. Then, as one, they flung their Poke Balls into the center of the makeshift arena. "Lucas/Barry! Let's go!"


	2. Encounter

{Text} is invisible to fourth-wall-aware characters who are not the Narrator. All speech inside this follows normal rules.

**Chapter 2: Encounter**

* * *

With twin bursts of light, the Poke Balls released their occupants. On one end of the field, a small orange chimplike Pokémon dropped to the ground. At the other, an equally small blue penguin stood, Barry having released his Poke Ball with far more accuracy than Lucas.

"I _knew_ I should have invested in those throwing lessons!" Lucas yelled.

The Chimchar turned its head to face his new Trainer. "Chaaaa? Chim, Chimchar!" {_"We have trainers? Finally, we're free from that old lawyer-faced fuddy-duddy and his insane assistant!"}_

It should be noted at this point that Pokémon language is rather concise.

Barry looked between the two Pokémon in the field. "I have to say, Lucas, my Pokémon looks cooler," he said, then smirked. "I have the type advantage too!"

"Barry, you only have the type advantage because you insisted on being last, and because you're the rival of the story. It wouldn't be _right_ to have a Pokémon rival without the type advantage over the protagonist," Lucas shot back. "Besides, Chimchar is clearly superior, seeing as it's on _fire,"_

Meanwhile, Piplup was looking between Barry and Lucas. "Pi. Luuup pip pip lup." {_"Chimchar, it seems the day has finally come."}_ It smirked at Chimchar (despite having a beak) and managed to do a surprisingly good impression of his trainer in the process. "Piplup pip," {_" We have been freed from the existence that was the lab, and we are both blessed with trainers."_} It looked back at Barry, then at Lucas. "Pip-piplup lup," {_"Although my trainer clearly has the superior sense of style, having picked _me_,"_} it sniffed. "Plup," {_"And doesn't wear that ridiculous hat,"_} it said waving its flipper at the offending piece of headgear.

Chimchar growled, but not nearly as loudly as Lucas did. "I may not be able to understand what you say, but _nobody_ insults the hat! Barry, this show is past the road, and on the motorway! Chimchar, _attack!"_

"Chiiiim-CHAR!" {_"The fires of my soul burn from this injustice!"_} The Fire-type leaped forward into a sprint, claws sharpening in preparation for Scratch. Piplup began moving, but was too slow to really react as Chimchar slammed the attack home.

"What?" Barry blinked, having been preparing for more pre-battle banter "Ooh, that one hurt, you! Piplup, retaliate!"

Piplup dodged back from another Scratch. "Piiiplup!" {_"But I don't know Retaliate!"_}

"Chim-chimchar!" {"_My burning spirit will push me ever onward!"_}

Piplup finally found its feet, and pushed back with a Pound attack to the face. "Pii, pip…" {"_Oh dear, he's off again…"}_

"_Yes!"_ Lucas exulted. "Teach that overgrown turkey a lesson!"

But, turkeys are much larger than Piplups. How would it be overgrown if-

"Shut it, you," Lucas snarled at the sky. "That featherless feathered fiend _dissed my hat! _Chimchar, hit it with Leer!_"_

Chimchar pivoted away from a Pound attack, and leapt back. "Chiim…_" {" I close my eyes…"} _it said, doing so.

Barry was quick to capitalise on the perceived opportunity. "Piplup, hit it now!"

Chimchar's eyes flashed open transfixing Piplup in its spot with a positively unearthly glare. "CHAR!" {"_And then I open them, with superb force!"_}

Piplup shook it off, and continued its attack run. "Pluuup-pip!" {_"That doesn't even make sense!"_}

"Chiim-chimchar!" {"_True fighting spirit needs not make sense!"_}

Lucas noticed the opening at exactly the same time as Barry did. "Chimchar, hit it _now! MAKE IT PAY FOR INSULTING MY HAT!"_/"Piplup, get out of there!"

Piplup reacted faster, mainly because Lucas had spent the extra time shouting about his hat, but wasn't fast enough to avoid a raking sweep of Chimchar's claws.

Barry winced. "Oh man this is not looking good…" he mumbled. Shaking it off, he yelled out "But this is where we hit our stride! Piplup, go get them!"

"Pluup, pi. Pi piplup-pi," {"_See, this is why my trainer is better. My trainer offers me support, and encourages me when I take damage"_} It sniffed, and raised its head higher in the air- inadvertently causing it to stumble due to its injuries. "Pip-lup," {"_Yours just sees you as a method of gaining revenge for an insult,"_}

Chimchar glanced back at Lucas, who flashed him a thumbs-up. "Chiim chimchar!" {"_Real support comes from the inside!"_}

Barry took the initiative the instant it became clear the battle was in a lull. "Pound it! Try and get around to the side!"

Piplup charged Chimchar, with an incredibly faint but still noticeable hesitation. Chimchar dodged the attack cleanly, but found itself unable to catch the small penguin with a counter-Scratch. Piplup failed to press the attack further, choosing instead to catch its breath.

Barry grinned at the surprisingly successful tactic. "Keep it up Piplup!"

Lucas observed the course of the Water Pokémon's movement carefully. The very faint hesitation, the need to catch its breath… '_Wait a second, this happened earlier! When it puffed itself up, it stumbled for a second… If Chimchar hit it then… And stop narrating my thoughts damn it!'_

"Chimchar!" He called out. "When it's preparing to attack, hit it then!"

"Char!" {_"On it boss!"_} Spinning past the next Pound attempt, Chimchar jumped back the same distance it had previously, continuing the pattern the two Pokémon had made over the last minute. This time though, when Piplup rushed it again, he Scratched at the small penguin's feet.

The Water-type toppled to the ground with a cry, Pound attack going wide. Chimchar was on it in under a second, using Scratch like there was no tomorrow. Finally, with one last hit, Piplup collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Wha-Piplup!" Barry rushed to his Pokémon's side, picking it up. "No way… We ended up losing?"

Lucas walked over to Chimchar's side, and picked up the heavily-breathing Pokémon. "Nice one, Chimchar," He congratulated the Fire-type.

"Chiim… Char," {"_My fighting spirit… Is burned down… I'm… gonna go to sleep right now,"} _Chimchar said, curling up. Lucas nodded, then returned it to the Poke Ball. He looked over at Barry who was doing the same for Piplup.

Barry looked back over at him. "Yeeeah, after all that excitement I'm beat," He looked down at the Poke Ball in his hands. "Our Pokémon need rest too- What do you say to going back to town?"

Lucas considered this. On one hand, it was further delaying the start of the journey he'd been waiting for literally since the author had come up with this idea. On the other hand, Chimchar _was_ hurt, and his Plot Sense was agreeing that delaying was a better idea.

He nodded. "Let's go home,"

* * *

"…So, you have a Pokémon now…" Johanna said. She was standing in the kitchen next to the fridge while Lucas and Chimchar were sprawled out on the sofa. "Well, it's a good thing that you met Professor Rowan isn't it? Imagine if you didn't…"

Lucas sat up slightly at this point. "Well, I'd like to think that the author isn't cruel enough to set _another_ pack of rabid Bidoof on us, 'cause that would kill the story pretty quick but I kind of get the feeling that that's not really that likely,"

Yeah, it's really not. I'm getting a pittance for this job! I mean, sure, the pension plan is good and I get free cable and booze, but…

Lucas stared up at the ceiling. "You get free cable, and booze, and you're _complaining?_"

Well, yeah but-

"There are some authors who pay their narrators nothing! I know of quite a number of them who get actively forced to work! _I_ don't even get that much, and I'm the protagonist!"

"Now now, Lucas," his mother chided. "Just because the narrator gets a better employment deal than you do-"

"Deal my foot," Lucas muttered.

"-You did get given the Plot Sense after all, so it's not all bad," Johanna continued, more loudly.

"…I suppose," Lucas conceded.

"Not to mention you get to go on a journey, like all protagonists do!"

"Well, yes..."

"So there you go!" his mother chirped.

Lucas considered her for a moment. "…You know, I never asked how you know about this stuff,"

"Oh, it's all in the contract," she replied, pulling out a ridiculously huge legal contract out from her apron pocket.

"Would hammerspace access be included in this contract?" Lucas asked, staring suspiciously at the offending stack of paper.

"…That's not important right now," his mother said, in a painfully obvious attempt to change the subject. "What is important is that you go see Professor Rowan-"

This woke Chimchar up _fast_. "Chim!? Chim-chim-char CHAR!" {_"WHAT!? We're going back to see lawyer-face!? We'll never leave again!"_}

Cheerfully oblivious to the Fire Pokémon's rapidly increasing panic, Johanna continued. "-And thank him for giving you a Pokémon. His lab is in Sandgem town, right? Now you have your own Pokémon, the tall grass isn't so bad! Oh, I know! I have just the thing!"

As his mother headed up the stairs, Lucas turned his attention to the small monkey attached to his leg. "Don't worry about going to see the Phoenix Wright impersonator Chimchar, I won't let him take you back. "He said, having guessed that Chimchar was worried about that. "If I did, I'd be stuck in Sandgem at the mercy of-" he shuddered. "Hordes of rabid Bidoof,"

Chimchar stared at its trainer in confusion.

Recovering from his relapse, Lucas sat up straight. "…So, what do you think my mother's fetching?"

Seriously? _That's_ the conversation you start?

"Well, yeah," Lucas said. "The author limited my internet access so that walkthroughs were blocked, so how am I supposed to know what happens?"

Hmm… Good point…

The narrator's musing was interrupted as Johanna came back down the stairs, holding a large shoebox. Lucas's face broke into a wide smile as he recognized the brand, a very familiar brand that he'd spent a relatively large portion of the previous chapter moaning about.

"RUNNING SHOES!" Lucas yelled, fist pumping. This startled Chimchar enough that it fell out of its chair.

Johanna smiled at her son's enthusiasm. "Yes, I thought you might like them," She pulled out a card from her apron. "With those Running Shoes, you can get to faraway places much faster!"

"No ****," murmured Lucas.

"Language young man," Johanna chided, and looked back at the card. "Herm-hm. Let me read the instructions… 'Press "B" to dash about faster than ever before! Put on the Running Shoes and blaze a new trail of adventure!'" She looked up, and smiled at him. "I think you'll be able to manage that, won't you?"

Lucas hugged her.

After a moment, he released the hug and stepped back. "Thanks…"

Johanna smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, just go and say thanks to the Professor!"

Lucas rapidly swapped out his shoes for the Running Shoes, saluted his mother, and tore out the door at a run.

Thirty seconds later, he came running back in, grabbed Chimchar's Poke Ball, recalled the surprised Fire-type and left again, still moving at a run.

* * *

"Hey, Lucas!" N. M. Guy called to Lucas from his eternal position at the north end of town. "You looking for Barry?"

Lucas shrugged. Truth be told, he had been intending to rush over to Sandgem as fast as possible, but his Plot Sense said this was a good idea so… "Sure, why not?" he called back.

"Yeah, he went tearing off out to Route 201 earlier, yelling something about Lake Verity. I think you should be able to catch him if you hurry."

Lucas thanked him, and took off (once again) at a run.

N.M. Guy watched Lucas leave from his position, idly noting that this was the first time he'd seen Lucas run in… Well, ever really. He was such a sedate child, compared to Barry… Definitely crazier though.

He could have sworn he heard someone yelling "I heard that!" from the distance…

* * *

"The _nerve_ of that guy!" Lucas ranted.

Well, to be fair, most people can't actually hear the narration…

"You're one to talk, seeing as you _do_ the narration!"

Lucas was so focused on his argument with the narrator, that he almost missed Barry waiting for him.

"Hey, Lucas!" the blond trainer called, attracting his attention away from his heated discussion. "Arguing with the sky again?"

"I'm arguing with the _narrator,_ not the sky," Lucas crossed his arms.

Barry ignored him. "You might be here way faster than normal, but I'm still sick of waiting! We're going to go see Professor Rowan, so we can thank him properly, right?"

Lucas nodded. "We'll get given whatever plot coupon happens to be important to us next, and go off on a journey!"

Barry continued to ignore him. "So, I was thinking," he said.

"That's a change," Lucas muttered.

"Well, I had this great idea. You know that lake we always used to play at? The one they say there's a Legendary living in?"

"Oh dear, this is going to end up where your plan from yesterday would have if Professor Rowan hadn't stopped us, isn't it?"

"You guessed it!" Barry continued on obliviously. "We'll go capture that Pokémon, and that'll make Professor Rowan happy!"

You know, I'm actually curious. Is he just ignoring you or can he actually not hear you?

Lucas stared at Barry's ears as he began talking about how their Pokémon battle had been amazing. "I think he's wearing earplugs, actually,"

Barry finished his monologue, and noticed Lucas staring at his ears. "Lucas, why are you staring at my ears?"

"Well, Barry, I was staring at your ears because I was wondering if you were wearing earplugs,"

Barry blinked, and removed his earplugs. "Sorry, didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"Well, Barry, I _said_ that I was staring at your ears because I was wondering if you were wearing earplugs. Clearly, you were," Lucas replied.

Question; Why-

"Because," Lucas interrupted, rather rudely I might add. "Maybe, but it was going to be a stupid question anyway,"

Barry grabbed him. "Hey, that's enough talking. You want to argue with the sky, you do it on your own time. Now, on to the lake!"

Barry set off, but had his arm grabbed back by an oddly serious Lucas. "Barry, if there really is a legendary Pokémon in the lake- of which I have no doubt- Trying to capture it? With one, relatively untrained Pokémon each?" he shook his head, and released Barry's arm. "Legendaries are essentially forces of nature. There are a handful of trainers in the entire world who're strong enough to fight _or_ capture them. If a Legendary attacks, it usually takes whole teams of Pokémon Trainers to fight them off, There's a few rumours- There's a couple of tales coming out of Unova that some guy with armour has one, that girl in Hoenn supposedly has a Latias, and that Red guy over in Kanto's probably strong enough to have captured one, before he disappeared- but that's all they are. _Rumours. _There are far more sightings than those rumours, and while they may not be actively hostile, they're still Pokémon. And therefore, they can be offended. _" _He looked at Barry, still oddly serious. "If there's actually a Legendary in the lake-" here, he paused, and pulled open his rucksack. Grabbing a book from inside it, he leafed through it until he came to a page. "-It'll be this."

Barry examined the page, looking at the small fairylike Pokémon depicted on it. "Mesprit?"

Lucas nodded. "The Being of Emotion. It's small, but don't let that fool you. Mew is small too, after all."

"Yeah, I guess…" Barry agreed. "I have to say though, I'm surprised you know this much,"

"Well of course!" Lucas replied, suddenly much more upbeat.

Something I'm thankful for, that was getting quite grim there for a second.

"Stow it you, that was important exposition. Anyway, I studied up on them because of the likelihood of encountering one on my journey," He nodded, attempting to look sagely but really looking ridiculous. "After all, all good protagonists encounter Legendaries at _some _point, and I'd rather be prepared than not."

Barry had to agree. It _was_ better to be prepared than not to be, even if he privately disagreed with Lucas's theory that they would encounter a Legendary. Oh how wrong he is…

Lucas chose to ignore this as they started walking toward the lake. "Plus, Mesprit is mentioned on that sign." He said, gesturing towards it. "How could I _not_ be curious?"

Barry had to agree. If he'd had access to information on the Legendaries, he'd probably look it up too. Speaking of which…

"Where _did_ you get that book anyway?"

"The book?" Lucas looked at the book in Barry's hands, and snatched it back. Stowing it in his rucksack, he straightened up. "Dad was Kalosian, they have a huge amount of information on Legendaries not their own." Lucas said, looking away. "Plus, he always liked myths and stuff…"

Barry winced. "Ah." He hadn't meant to bring up such a touchy subject.

"That's okay, Barry, you couldn't have known," Lucas patted his friend's back, as they entered the overhung path to Lake Verity.

* * *

"All right, we're here! Get ready to find that Legendary, because…" Barry trailed off. "Huh, don't know where I was going with that one."

Lucas snickered.

"Shut up. Actually, why did you come here when you were saying it was a really bad idea?"

Lucas shrugged. "Plot Sense."

Barry stepped slightly away from him. "Right…" Never mind the crazy person who had so thoroughly warned him, and then went in anyway because of some extra sense he claimed he had, right?

Lucas glared at the narrator. "Shut up already!"

His rival smacked him. "Pay attention! We're looking for a Legendary here!"

Lucas rubbed his cheek absently. "Well, I don't know that smacking me is the right way to start…"

"I smacked you because you were being crazy again." Barry sniffed. "It had _nothing_ to do with Legendary searching." He paused. "Wait, what's going on over there?"

'Over there' was a small cliff hanging over the lake, where a tall, blue-haired man wearing a bizarre suit was standing. As they approached they could hear him speaking.

"…The flowing time, the expanding space… All will be mine someday. Cyrus is my name, the ancient word for the sun…"

"Is he _monologuing?" _Barry whispered to Lucas.

Lucas's eyes were wide as his Plot Sense went _haywire._ "Yes, now shut up!" he hissed.

"…Ridding the world of spirit and creating my own…"

"Why_?"_ Barry hissed back.

"…eliminating the existence of those who would oppose this new world order…"

"_Because,"_ Lucas muttered. "A; He's clearly crazy and unhinged-"

"Until then Legendary Pokémon of the lake. Sleep until then. Sleep while you still can." Cyrus turned, and walked away from the lake. His eyes narrowed as they fell upon the two _children_ in front of him. "…Allow me to pass. Step _aside._"

Lucas dragged Barry roughly out of the way.

"…Hmph." He grunted, clearly unimpressed. Cyrus continued on his way, idly wondering if he should just kill them and be done with it. After all, mere _children_ had easily derailed the plans of Teams Rocket, Aqua and Magma.

Lucas eyed the stylized "G" on the back of Cyrus's jacket, and shuddered as the tall man continued on his way. "The _other_ reason that we shouldn't bother him is he's also planning to destroy space and time by dragging the Twin Dragons out of their own worlds."

Barry stared after where the blue-haired man had left. "That's _crazy! _Why would he do that? And how do you know that?"

Lucas shrugged, much less concerned now that it had become clear that Cyrus was _not_ going to turn back and kill them. "Well, one reason is that we could both hear him plotting openly over there. The other reason?" he grinned. "Well, did you think that the Plot Sense only applied to _story_ plots?"

Barry stared at him. "So you're saying you can sense _evil plots?_" Lucas nodded. "I have _so_ got to test this." He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.

The beret-clad trainer rolled his eyes. "You're planning on running home, eating all the ice cream and then throwing a soggy towel at me. That's not _exactly _what I would call _evil_, Barry."

His rival scratched his chin. "Huh, maybe there _is_ something to you going along with this earlier…"

Lucas tilted his head. "Huh?"

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

"Earlier, when you were saying why you came here anyway… Oh that's right, that's why we were here!" Barry grinned, having changed tack entirely halfway through his sentence. "Come on Lucas, let's go catch a Legendary!"

He immediately charged off to the point where Cyrus had been standing. Sighing, Lucas ran after him.

"This is going to go _so_ well…"

Maybe.

{'_But then again,' _a voice mused._ 'Maybe not…'}_

**End Chapter**

A/N:_ Well, first major deviations from the games here, although that's probably game mechanics affecting Legendaries. I mean, in D/P Dialga/Palkia managed to distort the entire Sinnoh region before the Lake Trio stepped in, and R/S/E had Groudon/Kyogre affecting half of Hoenn. I think this isn't a particularly unreasonable depiction of them, even if it does clash a bit with the light-heartedness so far._

_And we get a first look at Cyrus. I tried to make him at least slightly menacing. Hopefully it worked._

_I'm also not particularly happy with the Pokémon Speak in this chapter. I'll look at other ways of doing it in future chapters. _

_And finally; will the reason that Barry is wearing headphones ever be revealed?_


	3. Gift

**A/N: For some reason I really don't like this chapter. Itwas ridiculously difficult to write, at a seriously busy time in school. I'm still not happy with it, but the next one should come out a _bit_ faster. I make no promises though.  
**

**Lake Verity**

"Man, this _sucks."_ Barry complained as he collapsed on the shoreline.

"Well, you could have listened to my advice at _any_ point, but _nooooo._ We _had_ to find a Legendary, even though there's not even _proof_ it lives here, let alone us being able to get to it…" Lucas moaned, flopping down beside him.

{_Amusement. It did indeed live here, even if it didn't show itself.}_

Well, at least you now know Lake Verity's coastline in-and-out, right?

"Well, yeah," Lucas admitted. "And while squeezing through the trees takes forever, that Fire Blast TM was a _really_ nice bonus."

{_Surprise, at the momentary flicker of happiness that rapidly dissolved back into the storm of exasperation, annoyance and tiredness.}_

"Just because you got there first…" Barry grumbled.

"I did," Lucas said, nodding. "However, I am also claiming it as compensation for you dragging me around since the end of the last chapter. I mean, that's more than a week!"

Barry stared at him, confused.

{_Curiosity. This was… an interesting view on things.}_

"Never mind," Lucas shook his head. "What's _important,_ is that you pretty much wasted the indeterminate amount of time between the previous chapter and this one by dragging us around looking for a Legendary, who at the least hasn't been seen in living memory, may well not live here at all, and would probably be actively avoiding detection even if it's lair was in a location where we could reach it!"

{_A faint tinge of sympathy, obscured by a surge of worry. Would this one try harder to find its resting place? And if it was so simple to work it out, could the one who had been here earlier work it out?}_

Barry sighed, and hung his head slightly. "I know, I know… I just…" He trailed off.

"Just?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Well, he gave us the greatest chance of our lives, really. I wanted to try and make it up to him somehow, give him even slightly something back…" Barry said, still staring out at the lake.

Lucas put a hand on his shoulder. "I think he'd appreciate the sentiment, but the execution left much to be desired. Besides," He said, grinning. "He's a Pokémon Professor, even if he looks like a lawyer. He'll probably stick us with a Pokédex and tell us to go out and catch everything, like they all do."

{_Further amusement, at the incredibly self-assured manner that the human spoke with. And a larger amount of sympathy for the other human, trying to express the gratitude for a gift from the one they were talking about.}_

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Barry stood up, and brushed himself off. "Still, it would have been nice…"

_{Hesitation-}_

"It would have," Lucas shrugged. "But we can make it up to him another way."

{-_Resolve}_

"Kyaaaaauuun…." The tinkling cry washed over the Lake Verity area, leaving ripples in its wake.

The two Trainers stared at the lake, then at each other. Barry broke the silence first.

"Was that…?" He asked.

Lucas nodded mutely as he looked back at the lake, although internally he was wondering exactly _why_ he was surprised. '_Hmm..._

"…Heck _yes!" _Barry yelled, and turned to Lucas. "Come on, let's go! This our chance to-"

He was cut off as Lucas smacked him around the back of the head. "What did I _already_ say about that?"

"Umm…"

"Besides," Lucas continued as Barry rubbed his head. "Neither of us are exactly strong enough to fight off a Legendary, let alone capture one." He glanced at the center of the lake as he said this, focusing on a slightly hazy patch of air that he _swore_ was watching him… "Not to mention that if Mesprit took offense we would probably find ourselves with a seriously messed up set of emotions…"

"Yeah," Barry nodded. "And thinking about it, neither of us are carrying any Poke Balls, are we?" He paused for a moment, thinking. "…Do you think that Professor Rowan would give us some if we asked him?"

"Well, he _did_ say that if we could have difficulties we should go see-" Lucas was cut off as his friend charged off toward the only area not blocked by trees.

"Later, Lucas! First one to the Professors lab _rules!" _Barry called back over his shoulder.

"-him, _damnit_ Barry…" Lucas muttered, then cupped his hands over his mouth. "If he asks you do to do something, _stick around long enough to listen!"_ He yelled after his rapidly-departing fellow Trainer.

There was no response. Lucas couldn't tell if Barry simply hadn't heard him, or hadn't bothered to reply. Either was possible really.

{_Further amusement at the antics of the two humans. It was quite endearing to it, honestly…}_

"Well," He spoke out loud, and looked up. "It's just the two of us now isn't it? Thinking of it, you've been awfully quiet…"

I couldn't think of anything to say, sue me. Besides, with Mesprit effectively looking over everyone's shoulder the entire time-

{_Mild surprise. The depth of the emotion inherent in the statement was unusually intense..}_

_-_Like right now. _Guh_ that's so creepy.

Lucas blinked, having the feeling he was missing something. A particularly rare sensation for him. "Wha-"

Please _don't_ ask. That would only make it worse.

Lucas shrugged, and began walking away. Before he exited the lakeside, however, he turned and waved at a slightly hazy spot hovering several feet over the water.

As he left, the existence known to the general population as Mesprit gazed after him, before sinking back into the lake where it spent it's time sleeping.

{_That was… interesting} _

**Route 201**

Lucas idly waved at N.M. Guy as he walked past the entrance to Twinleaf Town. "So, what happens after we get to the Professor's lab? I mean presumably we get given a Pokedex…"

You _know_ I'm not allowed to say anything, so don't even _try._

Lucas shrugged. "Eh, it was worth a shot."

By the way, you might want to pay attention to where you're walking.

"Huh?" Lucas blinked, and nearly crashed into a completely unremarkable boy standing waist-deep in the long grass. "Ah! Sorry-"

"Wild Pokémon live in tall grass," the youth informed Lucas gravely. "They can come bursting out at any time."

Lucas nodded slowly, staring at him. "And you feel the need to inform me of information that literally everyone knows why?"

Ignoring him, the child continued. "So, if you want to battle wild Pokémon, go in the tall grass,"

Lucas tried to edge around him, feeling slightly uneasy.

"And if you want avoid battling, stay out of the tall grass!" The kid smiled at him, then walked back into the tall grass, still smiling.

Lucas stared after him. "What the hell was _that_ all about?"

...I have no idea, and I don't really want to know to be honest.

The beret-clad trainer thought for a moment. "...I think we should leave. Quickly."

Yes. Definitely.

**Route 201 - East**

"Well, that was disturbing." Lucas muttered as he approached the other end of Route 201.

No kidding.

"It's a good thing we didn't find any Pokemon on the way here… Maybe that kid scared them off? I wonder what was up with him, anyway?"

Many things. But you should probably pay attention to where you're walking.

"Huh?" Lucas blinked, and walked into a tree. One he could have _sworn_ wasn't there a moment ago…

"Whoa! Hey, you okay there kid?"

Lucas shook off the impact, and looked over to where the call had come from. The owner of the voice, a mid-twenties man wearing a Poke Mart worker's uniform. "Yeah, I'm fine. Juuust a bit dazed." He adjusted his beret back to where it had been before it was dislodged by the impact.

The older man looked a bit concerned. "Well, if you say so kid." He said, before his eyes fell on the Poke Ball clipped to the forward strap of his backpack. "You a Trainer, kid?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, that's why I'm out here. The Poke Mart chain is having a promotion, trying to get more people to buy from the local Sinnoh-based one rather than Silph's chain." The shopkeeper rooted around in his blue apron for a minute before extracting a Potion case. "Here- THere's already a set of five in here, and it has enough space to hold fifty."

Lucas accepted the case, and opened it to check the inside. "There's some empty bottles in here too. I take it that's on purpose?"

The Poke Mart worker nodded. "Yeah, there's a discount for getting them refilled rather than buying new ones. I think it's because Fiore's glass industry got badly shaken up a while ago, and we're only just starting to feel the effects."

Lucas nodded, thinking.

"Well, anyway kid. Feel free to fill those with spray medicines, they'll take any type. You're still limited to what the League has restricted you to though," He shrugged. "Not sure why they implemented that rule, but it seems quite popular. Anyway kid, see you later. Make sure not to run into anymore trees!"

Lucas watched as the man walked off to wherever he had been going previously, then stretched, his shoulders giving off a satisfying _pop._

"Well, that's useful I guess." He glanced around, and set off. "Now there's just Sandgem to get to and-"

A rustling by his foot cut him off. Slowly, Lucas turned his head to see what had caused it.

A small, brown furred creature stared back up at him, it's two overly-large front teeth glinting in the sunlight.

"GAH!" Lucas yelled, and flung the Pokeball previously attached to the strap of his bag. "Chimchar, FIRE!"

The Pokeball deposited the flaming monkey between it's trainer and the wild Bidoof. "Char, Char!" {"_Got it, boss!"}_

Moving quickly, the Bidoof charged forward in a Tackle. The effort was wasted however as Chimchar sidestepped and laid into it with a barrage of Scratches. The small brown Pokemon yelped under the rapid-fire attacks, and retreated back into the tall grass.

Lucas sighed in relief, before reaching down to Chimchar. "Come on. Let's get out of here before more of them turn up."

The small monkey scrambled up on to it's trainer's shoulders. Lucas stood up and took off at a jog, making sure to watch where he was going this time.

What's gotten you in such a hurry?

"There's always one, then another one to go with the first, and before you know it you're being swarmed under!"

But since you have-

"Less talking more running!"

**Sandgem Town**

"That was horrible and I never want to go through it again."

"Char." {_"No argument here."}_

I thought you were_ joking_ about the horde of rabid Bidoof…

Lucas glared at the sky. "Well, now you know I wasn't. Much to my displeasure."

"Oh! There you are!"

Lucas looked over as Dawn ran up to him. "Yes?"

She frowned at him. "The professor sent me out here to make sure you got to the Research Lab."

"Let's go then," Lucas grinned at her.

Dawn sniffed, and walked off.

Well, that went well.

Lucas shrugged, and followed her. "I don't know what her problem is and I don't really care that much."

A few minutes later the two Trainers were standing in front of the large turquoise-roofed building. Lucas reached out, hesitated for a second, then pulled open the door before jumping to the side.

"What was all that about?" Dawn asked him, sounding annoyed.

"Well, it was practically an invitation for a collision to walk into a building with Barry inside, so I tried to dodge," Lucas explained. He stepped into the doorway, and as if on cue Barry crashed into him from the inside with a loud _thud._

"Hmm? Oh, hey Lucas."

Lucas glared up at him from the ground.

"Yeah yeah, I know, you'll get me for that later and everything. But the old guy… He's not so scary as he is _really out_ there! Whatever, it doesn't matter." He hauled Lucas back to his feet. "Also, I got here first, so I _totally_ rule. Anyway, I'm out of here. Catch you later!"

The two remaining Trainers watched him leave. Dawn turned to Lucas, thoroughly nonplussed. "Is he always like that?"

"Nonplussed, that's a good word…" Lucas muttered, completely forgetting the question.. "Hmm? Oh, yes. You get used to it."

Dawn blinked. "Well, umm… Anyway,let's go inside then."

"Well well, look who's here." Professor Rowan said, turning to the two young Trainers. "Lucas, was it?"

The Trainer in question nodded.

"Hmm…" The professor stroked his beard. "Well then, let's have a look at your Pokemon, shall we?"

Lucas nodded, and released Chimchar from it's Poke Ball. The Chimp Pokemon looked around, before recognizing where it was.

"CHAAAR!" {_"AAAAGH!"}_ It shrieked, before leaping behind Lucas. "Chim, chimchar!" {"_Not again, I'm not letting you!"_}

"Hm, yes yes, I see!" the Professor nodded. "This Pokemon trusts you very much! I knew it was a good idea to give you this Chimchar!"

Lucas idly scratched the head of the small Pokemon that was now sitting on his shoulder.

Rowan turned to face the back wall of his lab. "When I first saw you two about to walk into the tall grass, I was shocked by those two children who were so _foolhardy_ as to think that they could go through without worrying about the wild Pokemon living there."

Dawn groaned quietly. "Well, here he goes again."

"But then, the two of you _astonished_ me. The impatient child and the child who thinks his life is a story…"

"It _is_," muttered Lucas."Or at least, it's written as one…"

"You confounded me with your friendship, prepared to give up the chance of a journey. And so I allowed it, giving you and your impatient friend a Pokemon each, expecting you to do as normal trainers, and leave on a journey with your new Pokemon." The old man gave Lucas a very serious look over the rims of his glasses. "But you have managed to astound me in an entirely different way. Already, you have a strong bond with the Pokemon I have given you."

For some reason, Dawn looked incredibly surprised at this.

"In fact," Rowan continued. "I feel almost privileged to have given you this opportunity. I'm almost certain the Chimchar feels the same way."

The Pokemon in question further attempted to hide against Lucas's jacket.

"That's why I'm going to ask you to cherish that Chimchar of yours, as well as any other Pokemon you may catch."

"Um…" Lucas blinked, and turned toward Dawn. "I think I have an apology to make."

The Professor smiled wryly. "I think you do. You really need to stop thinking the worst of everyone on meeting them."

His assistant spared him an irritated glance, before turning back to Lucas. "I was honestly of the opinion that you weren't worth the effort, despite what the Professor may have said. It seems you've proved me wrong, although if I ever find out about you hurting any Pokemon…" She trailed off, leaving the heavily implied threat hanging in the air.

"Er-hm!" Rowan coughed, breaking the silence. "I think that's quite enough of that. Now, you already know my name. What you, presumably, do _not_ know is that I am investigating the Pokemon who live in the Sinnoh region. To do so, it is necessary to collect data with the device known as the Pokedex."

Oh, finally. Maybe we'll actually get to the good part this chapter!

Lucas glanced up at the sky, and grinned.

"As a favour, I wish to ask you to record data on the Pokemon in Sinnoh for me." Rowan looked very serious. "Would you find it possible to do this?"

The beret-clad protagonist nodded. "You only had to ask."

There was a moment of silence as Rowan moved over and hunted through the clutter on his desk.

"Professor have you lost them again?" Dawn asked with a sigh.

"No, no… They're here somewhere. The one I gave to the impatient one was, difficult though it was to get him to stay still long enough to get given it…"

His assistant rolled her eyes.

"Ah-HA!" The professor exclaimed, holding the Pokedex up. The device in question managed to shine triumphantly, causing Lucas to stare at it suspiciously.

"Professor…" Dawn shook her head, and snatched the red computer away from him. "Let me do it, you'll take forever trying to remember where you put the registration information."

As she walked off through one of the connecting doors, Rowan scratched his beard. "...I'm not _that_ bad, am I?" he asked after a pause.

Lucas shrugged, not having much idea what Rowan was like in day-to-day life.

There was silence for a minute, save the sound of Starly chirping outside, before Dawn walked back in, Pokedex in hand. "Here you go," she said, handing it to Lucas. "Just put in your name, and it's set

Lucas flipped the lid open, and looked at the details already input. Mostly correct, right down to blood type and shoe size (_And why were those even necessary?)_, but he corrected the few that weren't anyway.

After entering his name, he closed the "Congratulations on activating your Pokedex" message and scanned Chimchar's Poke Ball as the Fire type in question peaked over his shoulder.

"The Pokedex is a very high-tech piece of equipment," Rowan mused as the device in question chirped to indicate the scan's completion. "It passively scans the surrounding area, getting basic information on every Pokemon in-range. In addition, it links itself to any Poke Balls registered in your name, and gains more in-depth data in the process."

Lucas considered this. "So you want me to go and catch as many Pokemon as possible?"

The mustached man chuckled good-naturedly. "No, there won't be any need for that." He smiled. "What I want you to do is to go out and travel, explore as far as you can, and bring your Pokemon to the absolute peak of their potential. I'm not Professor Oak, or Juniper's daughter Aurea after all. What I'm looking into is the _evolution_ of Pokemon, from one form to another. I've discovered-"

"Professor," Dawn interjected. "You don't _really_ need to explain everything, do you?"

Rowan blinked, and shook himself. "Ah yes, I suppose not. Anyway, Lucas. You know there are countless Pokemon in the world. And, as you will find on your journey, there are just as many thrills to be had. Now…" The professor turned. "I believe you have an adventure to be having?"

Lucas grinned. "I think so. Well, old man,"

Rowan's eye twitched slightly.

"I'll be seeing you."

"Wait!" Dawn called.

"Yeah?"Lucas said, turning back to face the blue haired girl.

"Shouldn't you tell your family where you're going, before you leave?"

The beret-clad Trainer considered this. On one hand, his mother already knew where he was, and was likely to do. On the other, there would probably be _some_ reason to head back.

...Eh, why not? He nodded.

Good," Dawn smiled. "And when you come back through, I'll show you around! It's my duty as a senior research assistant to the Professor, after all!"

Lucas suddenly felt a creeping feeling of doom overcome him. Well, sucks to be you, doesn't it?

"Oh stuff it, you." the Trainer muttered.


End file.
